Body Language 101

A friend of mine sent me this beautiful photo of a horse accommodating a tiny fawn who had wandered WAY into his personal space (see how his leg is bent out of baby's way?) Horses are amazingly self aware when it comes to their bodies; the biggest exception to this rule being when something else completely eclipses their attention (then all bets are off :o)

You did not listen to what I said,
and you did not listen to what I SAID,

Sooooo...

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW???

Note the change of direction in Bella's ears when I place the rain slicker on her back. She is still paying attention to me, but she is also focused on the slicker (the slight tilt of her head (R) indicates she is definitely thinking about this).

Lady is dozing (L) and Shadow is all but cross-eyed with equine ecstasy from getting his chest scratched.(R)

The horse on the left is dozing and/or listening to something behind him. The pony on the right, however, is obviously angry about something (note the pinched nostrils). Chances are, any attempt to pet this cranky little fellow would result in either a snap or a bite (ouch).

This is Champ: He was very curious and eager to "meet" the the strange new creature in the photo on the left (ears are up, nose is out, nostrils are flared and neck is arched). He was not quite as sure, however, about the piglet (R). Notice how his ears are flicking front to back, indicating his uncertainty; his neck is straight, plus his head is a little higher and pulled back slightly. His hesitancy turned out to be a good call; the piglet squealed loudly in his face, causing Champ to bid a hasty retreat to a safe hiding place behind Lady :o)

The photo on the left shows the ear flick (acknowledging a non-troublesome sound or movement). The one on the right indicates anger or extreme annoyance (if I was going to hazard a guess, I'd say another horse moved into his personal space from behind).

While both horses are showing worry lines, the horse on the left has his head up (showing fear). The horse on the right, however, has worry lines that are more clearly pronounced and his chin is pulled in toward the chest (indicating distress).

It is important to note that while both these photos show the whites of the eye, only the horse on the right is afraid. The sclera (white part) of the Appaloosa's eye is visible but that is actually an identifiable characteristic of the breed. He does appear to be somewhat "concerned" about the photographer though (note the ear and worry line).

The pinched nose (the dirty one on the left :o) can sometimes be harder to spot than some of the other language (note the teeny tiny wrinkle that appears behind the nostril).

I have noticed that a horse's expression of delight comes in degrees and seems to be directly related to their unique personalities. Rina (photo Left) tends to be serious and a bit reserved. If you look carefully at her photo (L), you can see that there is a definite protrusion of Rina's upper lip and two shallow but distinct "camel humps" have appeared indicating her enjoyment (DD was scratching her tummy). Taya, on the other hand is very playful and outgoing (photo Right). Note how her little nose and even her chin have protruded and elongated to match her current state of absolute bliss. Continued scratching ultimately results in a "Stevie Wonder impersonation", with Taya's head waving happily from side to side :o)

WOO-HOO that feels good!!!

Not only are this horse's nostrils pinched, he appears to be grinding his teeth. Someone obviously got on HIS last nerve today and he is giving it some serious thought (note the wrinkle behind the nostril and the additional wrinkles around his mouth :o)

Photo courtesy of:Photos of horses

Bella (L) is anticipating her treat for giving me a kiss (note the ear flick acknowledging the photographer); The horse on the right, however, appears slightly alarmed, but still curious, over whatever is in the bucket (I'm thinking it's probably not supper :o)

Both these horses have flared nostrils and the whites of the eyes are showing indicating alarm. Notice the difference, however, in ears and head positions. The horse on the left is still curious about what startled him, whereas the ears of the horse on the right show uncertainty and he has flung his head up in the air indicating a more intense degree of alarm. The horse on the right will likely either bolt or rear if the source of his fright is not removed.

I think it's pretty obvious what this horse is asking his person for (she has a handful of treats). Ears are laid back, nose is out and head is ever so slightly tilted; is that not the sweetest expression?

This horse (L) is clearly none to keen on sharing his hay (M-I-N-E); while the horse on the right seems to have had just about enough of Mr. Photographer and everybody else on the planet (note the pinned ears, pinched nostrils and whites of his eyes). This horse will likely behave aggressively toward anyone that approaches him (I'd pass - yikes).

There is usually a small space under the horse's tail (L). The horse on the right has his tail clamped due to cold (if it is due to fear, it is usually a precursor to either bolting or kicking).

These two horses have different tail sets. While both horses are trotting and each has raised his tail slightly, the horse on the right has a higher tail set. If I was going to guess, I'd peg the horse on the left as a Quarter Horse and the one on the right an Arabian.

This photo shows a horse with his tail flipped completely over. Two of our horses: Shadow (a Tennessee Walker), and Bella (an Arabian), do this on occasion.

Looking at the photo above, note the pinned ears, pinched nostrils and tucked chin of this horse. It is easy to tell by looking at these things that she is angry.

When you add in the tail as an exclamation point, however, you can see that this mare is not merely angry; she is L-I-V-I-D.

This is an instinctive social skill inherent in all foals. When faced with anything larger than themselves (or when shown aggression such as the horse on the left), the foal will thrust his nose out and open and close his mouth numerous times in succession (clacking his teeth together). Basically, it's a "Please don't hurt me you are the boss" statement made in self preservation; (kind of like yelling "Uncle-uncle-uncle!" in advance :o)

When two horses meet, they will usually touch noses and then decide which one of them is in charge. Generally, the horse with more self confidence (or sass) will let out a squeal followed by a lashing out of one or both front feet to establish dominance. This is our Rina (a purebred Arabian mare-right) telling Cinnamon (our Appaloosa) in no uncertain terms that she IS his superior. Cinnamon's Appy-tude was no match for Rina's fiery temperament (needless to say, she won :o)

Horses can have very strong opinions about other horses. Even with a wall separating these two, the horse on the left clearly does NOT like his neighbor (and is more than happy to let her know how he really feels).

Both of these horses are intensely focused on the business at hand. Heads slightly down with the chin pulled in towards the chest; one ear back in concentration, and the other focused on the person giving directions.

These two horses are still attempting to listen to their riders despite their obvious distress. The one on the left looks to be in pain or discomfort (note the head position and worry line), and the one on the right is in a panic (note the head position, flared nostrils and whites of his eyes).

This horse has been completely distracted (the eclipsed attention I mentioned near the beginning of this lens) by something off to his right. His training will be much better served by addressing the distraction before attempting to continue.

Answer: KILL THE DOG.